Donegal rallies against health cuts

‘Save Donegal Health Services’

‘Time to support health care, not the wealth care of bankers and developers’– Mayor Cora Harvey

  BY JACK MURRAY

DONEGAL Mayor Cora Harvey of Sinn Féin has paid tribute to the 5,000 people who took to the streets around Letterkenny General Hospital in August to protest against health cuts.

Among the many community, voluntary, campaign and trade union groups on the march were the Friends of Letterkenny General Hospital and the Irish Kidney Association.

The Sinn Féin councillor, one of the main speakers at the huge rally in Donegal Town, said that people had “united for a common good” under the banner of ‘Save Donegal Health Services’.

Mayor Harvey said that the huge turn-out marked “a good day for Donegal”.

“The message has been sent loud and clear from Donegal: we want our hospital and community services protected and developed, not cut and dismantled.

“Unfortunately, our healthcare is not valued as sacred by some quarters. What we value here in Donegal seems to be very different from what the ‘powers that be’ value in Dublin. I have yet to see the bankers tread the streets of Dublin.

“The wealth care of the bankers and the developers has been sorted - now sort out our healthcare! The banks are getting no more; enough is enough.”

Cora Harvey said that what the Fianna Fáil/Green Party Government is proposing is a “death sentence”.

“We will not sit idly by and wait for that prescription. We are clearly saying that we will do everything in our power to stop these cuts because we all know that these cuts are just the beginning and worse will follow.

And the Sinn Féin councillor ended:

“As mayor, I pledged my full support and the support of all my council colleagues to this campaign. No Donegal county councillor who has the welfare of the people at heart will endorse these savage cuts being imposed on our hospital. Together we are stronger and now we are united.”